


let's give the boy a hand

by lotts (LottieAnna)



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Fluff and Humor, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Pining, Podfic, Podfic & Podficced Works, Podfic Length: 1-1.5 Hours, a bunch of disasters find love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-10
Updated: 2018-01-03
Packaged: 2019-02-12 21:21:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12968664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LottieAnna/pseuds/lotts
Summary: “My entire life is falling apart,” Willy says. “God, how do you people live like this?”“Like what?” Auston asks.“Having feelings,” Willy says. “Liking people. Pining. Is this what it’s like to be you?”(Or: Willy has a crush. He’s, uh. Dealing with it? Kinda?)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> IF YOU FOUND THIS THROUGH GOOGLING, KNOW ANYONE MENTIONED IN THIS STORY PERSONALLY, OR ARE MENTIONED YOURSELF: please, please click away. This is a work of fiction and nothing written in this story is true. Any accurate information used in this story is publicly available information about public figures, the rest is made up, 100%.
> 
> don’t pay too much attention to the road roommate situation in this. i assumed that mitch and zach still room together this year, but a recent interview kind of implied that mitch is actually rooming with auston now. i don’t know if that’s actually been confirmed? but if that’s the case, then i’m sorry for the inaccuracy. mitch definitely roomed with zach their rookie year though! also, willy doesn’t have a road roomie in this ig? whatever, if you’re looking for accuracy, you’ve come to the wrong place. 
> 
> warnings/bonus content in the endnotes. thanks to ang, ftc, tots, ciara! title’s from “let’s hear it for the boy” because this is a story about a boy who’s trying his best. really.

So like. Willy’s kind of slow on the uptake, but he’s pretty sure he’s in love with Zach, which, in hindsight, no shit, Zach is made of 100% high-quality Boyfriend Material, and is objectively, literally perfect.

Willy doesn’t know much about boyfriends, though, so he’s, like, out of his depth for the first time, which is why he’s currently on the floor of Mitch Marner’s hotel room as Mitch sits cross-legged on the bed above him.

“Oh my god, it’s like you’re mortal, now,” Mitch says, almost gleeful.

Willy throws an arm over his face. “I thought you were supposed to be the nice one.”

“I’m nice as shit, this is just objectively – I didn’t even know you were capable of feelings,” Marns says, rolling onto his back before sitting up again, like Willy’s personal crisis is cause for celebration.

“I didn’t either,” Willy groans. “What am I supposed to do?”

“Uh, ask him out?” Mitch says.

“What?” Willy asks, furrowing his brow. “No, I can’t just – what?”

“You should go on a date with him,” Mitch says, like it’s obvious. “If you like him. That’s what people do.”

Willy’s trying to formulate a response that adequately conveys how fucking _insane_ that idea is, but before he comes up with anything, the door clicks open, and Willy scrambles to get up off the floor, but he feels awkward just standing there, so he kind of flings himself onto the bed, lying on his side, resting his hand on his head.

It’s Auston who walks into the room, though, and he gives Willy a confused look as Willy just sighs and rolls onto his back, and Mitch laughs.

“What’s going on?” Auston asks.

“My entire life is falling apart,” Willy says. “God, how do you people live like this?”

“Like what?” Auston asks.

“Having feelings,” Willy says. “Liking people. Pining. Is this what it’s like to be you?” He turns to look at Auston, who’s glaring at him to shut up, like Willy isn’t purposely giving him shit right now.

“Matts isn’t pining,” Mitch says, hopping off his bed and onto the one Willy’s lying on. “And neither are you. You’ve liked him for, like, five minutes.”

“It’s been longer than that,” Willy says. “Probably. Like, it has to be, right?”

“You’re just dramatic,” Mitch says, waving him off. “Seriously, ask him out.”

“Who are we talking about?” Auston asks, sitting carefully on the bed, and Mitch moves over to sit next to him, in that too-close Marns way, because Marns is, quite possibly, the most oblivious person in the universe when it comes to Auston.

“Guess,” Willy says, rolling his eyes.

“He’ll never get it,” Mitch says, and then he turns to Auston. “Like, no offense, but you won’t.”

“Hey,” Willy says, turning his head a bit to shoot Mitch a glare.

“What? It’s not like it’s, like, totally out of the realm of possibility, it’s just – y’know. I didn’t expect it,” Mitch says.

Auston tilts his head to one side. “Is this, like, one of the guys?”

“Yup,” Willy says. “I can give you more hints, if you want.”

“Just tell him,” Mitch says. “We don’t have to turn this into 20 questions, or whatever.”

“No, give me a sec,” Auston says, and then he furrows his brow, looks at the ceiling for three seconds, and then, “Is it Hyms?”

Willy gives Auston a thumbs-up, and Auston nods sympathetically as Mitch just sort of gapes.

“How the fuck – there’s no way. Did you tell him already? Are you guys fucking with me?” Mitch demands.

“Promise I didn’t,” Willy says.

“I don’t believe you,” Mitch says, crossing his arms.

“I would’ve tried to put money on it,” Auston says. “I’m just perceptive, yo.”

“I’m perceptive too,” Mitch says.

Willy snorts, and Auston probably glares at him again, but Willy can’t be bothered to check.

“I mean, I spend more time with them,” Auston says, and then he crinkles his nose. “Wait, does this mean my wingers are gonna start–”

“No,” Willy says, sitting up fast. “No, nothing’s gonna happen, because I don’t want to just – like, you’ve met him, and you’ve met me. It won’t work.”

“I mean, I think he’d be down to fool around,” Auston says.

“But that’s not the issue here,” Mitch says, all dramatic, and Willy wants to gag at Auston’s transparently fond expression. “You see, Willy wants to _woo_ him.”

“Fuck you,” Willy says, but he doesn’t deny it.

“Oh, so you’re having, like, actual feelings?” Auston says, furrowing his brow. “Since when?”

“Who the fuck knows,” groans Willy. “I just – I want to make him breakfast in bed, and take him to meet my parents, and, like, marry him? Is this normal?”

“Eh,” Auston says. “More or less.”

“It’s _sweet_ , dude,” Mitch says.

“But I don’t _do_ sweet,” Willy says. “I’m pretty sure I’d need, like, boyfriend lessons, or whatever.”

“You don’t need lessons, you need to just tell him how you feel, and you’ll be fine,” Mitch says. “Right, Matts?”

Auston doesn’t get a chance to respond, because the door opens, and this time, it’s got to be Zach, so Willy sits up straight, legs crossed, and frantically tries to remember what hands are supposed to do before he decides to lean back on them, which is kind of uncomfortable, but whatever.

“Hey, Marns, I’m – oh, hey, Matts,” Zach says, and then he turns and flashes Willy a smile. “And Willy.”

“Hi,” Willy says, smiling back, this dopey, blushy thing that probably looks really fucking weird on his face.

“What’re you guys up to?” Zach sits down on the edge of the bed, so Willy un-crosses his legs and kind of kicks at Zach’s back. Zach gives him a look that’s equal parts annoyed and amused, so Willy tucks his feet under Zach’s thighs, and like, maybe his butt. Whatever, Willy’s feet are cold, and Zach is very warm, and his ass is like. Pretty great.

“It’s slumber party hour,” Mitch says. “We’re gossiping.”

“What about?” Zach asks, resting his hand on the bed so that his thumb kinda brushes Willy’s foot, which is ideal.

“Marns and I are trying to find out who Matts has a crush on,” Willy says, not missing a beat.

“No we’re not,” Mitch says, frowning as his cheeks turn kind of pink, but Zach, because he’s the best, ignores him and smiles at Willy.

“Oh, made any progress?” Zach asks.

Willy shrugs. “Nah, just that his smile lights up Matty’s world like nobody else.”

“The way that he flips his hair gets him overwhelmed?” Zach says, and Willy nods solemnly.

“And when he smiles at the ground,” Willy says.

“If you guys are gonna make fun of Matts, at least choose a song he’d know,” Mitch says, rolling his eyes and kicking Auston’s foot with his own in a way that Willy thinks is supposed to be subtle.

Auston, for his part, appears unphased. “Fuck you, I know this song.”

“Since when do you listen to 1D?” Mitch asks, amused, and Auston’s got his I’m-talking-to-Marns face on again, this dumb thing that’s trying to look irritated, but just looks, like, grossly in love.

“You play it all the fucking time,” Auston says.

“Do not,” Mitch says, grinning as he shoves Auston.

“You definitely do,” Auston says, shoving him back and smiling, and Willy’s, like, 80% sure this is going to turn into one of those weird things where they wrestle to avoid their feelings, but thankfully, Zach clears his throat.

“Alright, you guys can sort that out on your own, I’m gonna head back to Brownie’s room,” Zach says, climbing off the bed, and then he turns and looks at Willy. “You wanna come with?”

“Sure,” Willy says, and he’s thankful that Mitch and Auston are too busy being ridiculous to notice the way he nods a little too enthusiastically.

* * *

So, like, the team had a good game, and Willy specifically had a _really_ good game, so overall, this night is going pretty great. They’re out at some club, and Willy’s pretty drunk, and Auston is, of course, staring at Mitch.

“Dude,” Willy says. “Your boy? Is dumb.”

“He’s not dumb, and he’s not my boy,” Auston says.

“You’re wrong,” Willy sing-songs. “Marns is definitely your boy.”

“Can you, like, be fucking quiet?” Auston says.

“Why bother?” Willy says. “You’re like, not subtle. It’s okay, man, I’m not either.”

“You’re really not,” Auston says.

Willy glares, because that’s the kind of thing that Willy can say about himself, but it’s kind of out-of-line when Auston says it.

“I think he’s looking at you,” Auston says, nonchalant, and when Willy turns around, Zach actually is kind of staring; it’s awkward, in a way Zach usually isn’t around Willy, and Willy doesn’t really like that, so he smiles and waves Zach over.

An easy grin makes its way onto Zach’s mouth, which is totally what Willy was hoping for, and it’s very cute, so he stares at it for a second, until Auston nudges him with his elbow and Willy turns his head in time to see Auston roll his eyes.

Dork.

“Fuck you,” Willy says, and Auston just smirks and wanders away, which would seem strange and mysterious to the untrained eye, but Willy knows better, so he can tell that Matts is just being a weirdo, like always.

When Willy turns back, Zach is making his way over, his eyes focused somewhere between his feet and Willy’s. His shoulders – stupidly large, like the rest of his muscles – are a bit closer to his ears than usual, and Willy wonders if he’s stressed about something.

“Hey,” Willy says, and Zach looks up, his cheeks a little red.

“How’re you?” Zach says.

Willy shrugs, smiling a little. “Alright, y’know.”

“I’d bet,” Zach says. “You were really great tonight.”

And it’s – there’s something about the way Zach doesn’t really know how to occupy the space around Willy anymore, the way he seems to want to stand closer, but isn’t sure if he’s allowed to. Almost experimentally, Willy leans toward him, a little, and Zach’s face turns even redder, and he doesn’t move away.

“You looked pretty good out there, too,” Willy says, dropping his voice a little, so that Zach has to move in even closer to him to hear it.

“Yeah?” Zach says, and it’s – it’s stupid, it’s so stupid, because it’s only one word, but there’s something about the way he says it that really does it for Willy. It’s just this passive follow-up to Willy’s painfully obvious flirting, but he says it like it’s a joke, or it could be a joke, almost like he’s handing Willy the reins to the conversation.

It’s just one word, and it’s barely even the start of their conversation, but it kind of gives Willy a choice, to either keep flirting, or write the whole thing off as a joke, and Willy knows he should just laugh and not make things weird, he _knows_ it, except–

Zach is, like, _looking_ at Willy, the way Willy knows how to be looked at, and Willy just – he fucking wants him, and they’re both drunk, and Willy had a great fucking game.

“Do you wanna head back to the hotel?” Willy asks, leaning in close to be heard over the music.

“Oh,” Zach says, sounding surprised. “Yeah.”

“Wonderful,” Willy says, flashing him a smile, and he tries to ignore the butterflies in his stomach.

-

The hotel room is quiet when they walk in, even though they’d been laughing in the hallway a few seconds ago, but their conversation dies down as the door shuts behind them and the reality that they’re alone in a hotel room while the rest of the guys are still out dancing sinks in.

It’s not a bad quiet, really, just heavy and kind of tentative. Willy’s done this part of it, is the thing, but it just – this isn’t just, like, a random person he met tonight, it’s Zach, and Willy might be fucking up just by being here, but the fact is, they’re here, and Zach is blushing and fiddling with his jacket zipper because he doesn’t know what to do with his hands, and it’s sort of past the point of no return. Neither of them is changing their minds about this any time soon, and they’re going to do this.

Zach looks at Willy, nervous, wordlessly asking him what to do next.

Willy takes a long look at him, and he’s still everything Willy wants, and right now, Willy thinks he’s happy to just have any part of him, so he takes a step forward, pulls Zach toward him, and kisses him, slow and deep and purposeful, because if he’s gonna mess this up, he’s gonna do it right.

They keep kissing as they navigate to the bed and their clothing comes off, and they don’t stop for more than a few seconds until Zach’s lying on his back, naked, and Willy’s planting a careful trail of kisses onto his neck, then his collarbone, and then his stomach. He doesn’t know if he’s ever put so much thought into sex before, but the thing is, he’s so, so bad at saying words, and he needs Zach to _know,_ needs Zach to understand that he’s going to treat him right, because Zach deserves that. And maybe Willy should just get better with words, but there’s a part of him that thinks that maybe, if he does this right, Zach will realize what Willy’s trying to say without Willy actually having to say it.

So, Willy tries to do it right, and he tries really, really hard.

-

“Whoa,” Zach says, afterwards.

Willy’s head is on Zach’s bare chest, and he’s smiling, but his heart is racing as he traces small circles with his finger.

“Yeah?” he says.

“Sorry,” Zach says, kind of smiling. “That was probably lame.”

“Not at all,” Willy says honestly, but Zach takes it for a chirp, and rolls his eyes.

-

Willy wakes up in an empty bed that smells like Zach, which, y’know, is one of the worst things he’s ever experienced in his entire life.

By the time the team’s boarding the plane back to Toronto, they’ve made eye contact six times, and each time, Zach’s looked away quickly, and it’s honestly nothing short of a miracle that Willy manages to not cry at all, even though he comes really close on #6, when Zach is loading his bag into the overhead compartment. That time is especially unfair, because Willy has to look at his arms, which are actually pretty nice to look at, until he remembers that Zach will never want him and life is a nightmare.

Thankfully, Mitch Marner isn’t that big, so Willy manages to shove him out of the way and take the seat next to Auston for the trip home. “Sorry,” he says, fumbling with his seatbelt as Mitch settles in next to Marty a few rows ahead, giving them a strange look as he does.

“You could’ve asked,” Auston says, irritated.

“Couldn’t risk it. We need to talk,” Willy says. “It’s an emergency.”

“How big of an emergency can it be?” Auston asks.

Willy casts a quick glance around, and then lowers his voice. “I slept with Zach.”

“No,” Auston says, his eyes going wide. “Dude, that’s–”

“Listen, I know, okay?” Willy says, thumping his head against the seatback and closing his eyes.

“I mean, was it – were you trying to, like, get it out of your system?” Auston asks.

“Maybe? I was drunk, and I just – I wanted to, y’know? And I thought it was good, but then he left, and now he probably regrets everything, and hates me, and never wants to talk to me again,” Willy says.

“I’m sure that’s not–” Auston says, but then he stops, and Willy opens his eyes to see Zach walking by their seat, and, for the 7th time that morning, they make eye contact. Willy probably looks like a deer caught in headlights, because Zach certainly does, and he’s just dealing with the fallout from a one-night stand, but then he looks away and walks to the back of the cabin as Willy tries not to hyperventilate.

“This is bad,” Willy says. “This is so bad.”

“It’ll be okay,” Auston says, but his brow is furrowed. “That was… weird, though.”

“God, I didn’t even know it could be worse,” Willy says. “I miss pining. Can I go back to pining? Without the regret part?”

“‘fraid not,” Auston says, giving him a sympathetic look.

Willy sighs and leans his head on Auston’s shoulder, and Auston starts to play with his hair.

* * *

It’s not that Willy tries to spend more time with Auston to make Zach jealous, but whenever Willy laughs at one of Auston’s jokes and feels Zach looking at him, it makes him feel a little better about the whole thing where he’s questioning whether it truly is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all, or whatever.

There’s been a lot of awkward eye contact, lately, enough that Willy’s stopped keeping count, and it’s probably fucked up, but he kind of wants it to keep happening, even though it sucks. It makes it feel like things aren’t really over, like that night isn’t just a weird moment in the past, like at least, if things are still awkward, part of Zach still thinks something about it is worth worrying over.

Mostly, though, Willy misses his friend, because one of the big parts of liking Zach is that he just, like, really likes Zach.

“Flirting with me doesn’t count as a healthy coping mechanism for dealing with your feelings,” Auston says to him one day at practice.

“You’re not exactly asking me to stop,” Willy says, moving a strand of hair away from Auston’s face.

“It’s because I’m an enabler,” Auston deadpans as Mitch skates up to them.

“Hey guys,” Mitch says, not even pretending to look at Willy. “What’s up?”

“Talking about how Matty doesn’t help me kick my bad habits,” Willy says, which earns him a shove from Auston.

“Willy’s being awful,” Auston says.

“So, the usual?” Mitch chirps, and Auston smiles like it’s the funniest joke he’s ever heard, and a little bit like Mitch hung the moon.

“You guys are mean,” Willy says, starting to skate away. “I’m going to find some better teammates.”

“But I wanted to hear about your bad habits,” Mitch calls after him.

Willy looks over his shoulder to respond, except before he gets a chance, he collides with someone and topples to the ice.

“Sorry,” Willy says.

“You’re good,” the person says back, mostly automatic, and it’s a voice that makes Willy’s heart do something terrible, and it doesn’t stop as Willy slowly looks up and sees Zach’s face, closest it’s been since The Night™.

“Uh,” Willy says, and he thinks he should probably, like, stand up, except Zach’s mouth is kind of open, and Willy’s using most of his willpower to not stare at it, and even then, his eyes flicker down anyway, just for the briefest of seconds.

“Are you, uh, okay?” Zach asks, looking about as flustered as Willy feels.

Willy’s first instinct is to say, _no, you literally have ruined my life,_ except he realizes that Zach isn’t asking about that.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Willy says, and he scrambles to his feet at the same time Zach does.

“Cool,” Zach says, and he opens his mouth like he’s about to say something else, but then he shuts it again and nods.

“Sorry,” Willy repeats, trying not to feel weird things about the way Zach’s face is kind of red.

“I’m just gonna–”

“Yeah, of course.”

“Yeah,” Zach says, and then he skates past Willy, and Willy stares really hard at the laces of his skates until Babs blows a whistle, and Willy doesn’t think about anything but hockey for the rest of the afternoon.

-

It’s a random Tuesday, and Willy isn’t expecting it when Mitch shows up at his condo, but stranger things have happened, so he doesn’t dwell on it for too long, especially because Marns is the second most dramatic person Willy knows, after Matts.

Mitch storms in, too, not even waiting for Willy to invite him in, and he has this determined glint in his eye. Willy goes along with the whole thing, because he’s apparently still capable of being at least somewhat chill, at least when Zach isn’t involved.

“Hi, Marns,” Willy says, kind of sarcastic.

Mitch glares at him, then crosses his arms. “Are you fucking Auston?”

Willy blinks, and then, when he realizes what Mitch is asking, takes a very deep breath and tries not to laugh, because that probably won’t help the situation.

“No, Mitch,” he says, very calm. “I’m not fucking Auston.”

“If you are, you should stop,” Mitch says, still glaring. “I’m serious, if you really do like Hyms – like, Auston’s a good dude, and he might seem all distant, or whatever, but he’s not.”

“I’m aware,” says Willy.

“Like, he hasn’t told me anything–”

“There’s nothing to tell, I already told you,” says Willy. “I’ve literally never fucked Auston Matthews in my life.”

“Matty’s boyfriend material too, y’know? Way too good for just a hookup,” Mitch says. “So if that’s your hangup with Zach, but not with him–”

“I’m just not interested in Auston, Mitch,” Willy says.

“Well, good, because he’s way too good for you,” Mitch says. “I mean, for someone who likes someone else more than him, not, like, you specifically.”

“Wonder where he could find someone like that,” Willy deadpans, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow at Mitch. He’s, like, mildly irritated, but this is just way fucking dumb, and Mitch deserves to be called out for it.

Mitch goes red. “I mean, it’s not – like, I’m not saying that I–”

“What, that you finally realized you’re literally in love with him?” Willy asks.

“Fuck you,” Mitch says, automatic, and then, after a beat, “I realized a while ago, asshole.”

That’s… not what Willy had expected to hear. “What?”

“I don’t know, whatever,” Mitch says, and then he flops on Willy’s couch and runs a hand over his face. “I’m sorry.”

“Apology accepted,” Willy says, sitting next to him.

“It’s just – or, I guess, you have feelings now, so. You know,” Mitch says, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees and rest his forehead in his hand.  

“Yeah,” Willy says. “Um. How long?”

Mitch smiles, a little sad, and he stares at the floor as he speaks. “I don’t know, since the end of last season? At least? And I thought it would stop over the summer, but it just – it got worse.”

“I’m sorry,” Willy says.

Mitch shrugs. “I mean, it’s fine.”

“Why haven’t you told him?” Willy asks.

“He’s my friend, and I don’t want to fuck that up,” Mitch says. “Like, what if he doesn’t like me back, y’know? That could fuck things up. And I know I shouldn’t – like, I’m kind of a hypocrite, or whatever, but just – I don’t know if I could risk shit like that.”

“I don’t think you’d fuck anything up,” Willy says. “Also, he’d definitely be into it.”

“You don’t know that,” Mitch says.

“No, I do,” Willy says. “He likes you.”

Mitch turns to look at Willy, furrowing his brow. “What?”

“He likes you. Like, a _lot,”_ Willy says. “Seriously.”

“What are you basing this on?” Mitch asks.

“He told me,” Willy says.

“When?” Mitch asks.

“Which time?” Willy says, rolling his eyes. “It comes up frequently.”

“Bullshit,” Mitch says.

“It’s not,” Willy says. “I swear, he’s, like, head over heels.”

“Should you be telling me this?” Mitch asks.

“He hasn’t really been subtle,” Willy says. “Or, he tries to be, but, like, there’s too much wistful sighing.”

“Okay, you’re definitely full of crap,” Mitch says.

“Believe what you want, but I promise you, I’m right,” Willy says.

“Well, I don’t know,” Mitch says. “I can’t – I’m not just gonna, like, believe you.”

“You should,” Willy says.

“I–” Mitch throws his arms up in the air, kind of helpless. “Well, what do you expect me to do with that?”

“I don’t know, like, use it to motivate yourself,” Willy says. “I dunno, now you can confess your feelings, or whatever.”

“What?” Mitch says, incredulous. “No, what, Will, I can’t – it’s not like I can just – what?”

“Do you want me to?” Willy asks.

Mitch’s eyes go wide. “No, god, please don’t.”

“Well, one of you has to,” Willy says. “Seriously, it’s getting old.”

“I don’t – I’m gonna leave now,” Mitch says, standing up.

“Aw, no, I like dealing with your problems,” Willy says. “I get it now, it’s much more fun than mine.”

“You’re not gonna deal with anything,” Mitch says. “This isn’t a situation, it’s just – I don’t even know.”

“Fine, let me know when you want to plan a romantic confession,” Willy says, half-yelling, because Mitch is already at the door.

“I liked you better before you felt things,” Mitch calls back, and then he closes the door behind him. A second later, he opens it, pops his head back in, and says, “Please just – don’t actually say anything to him, okay?”

“Okay,” Willy says.

“I’ll – _maybe_ I’ll talk to him,” Mitch says. “Eventually. When I’m ready. But just – uh, a heads up, if you’re using Matts to try and make Hyms jealous, I don’t think that’s gonna work.”

“What?”

“I mean, I don’t know why you two are acting all weird, or what it has to do with him staying out way fucking late a few weeks ago, but I think he’s just – confused, more than anything else. It’s making him kind of grumpy.”

“Oh,” Willy says, wincing at the mention of a few weeks ago, because, like, painful memories. “I’ll work on it.”

“Good,” Mitch says. “Alright, bye for real, this time.”

“See you tomorrow,” Willy says, and Mitch ducks out the door.

Willy stands up to lock the door behind him, then pulls out his phone and starts to scroll through his contacts. There’s a second where he considers texting Zach, stares at the tiny picture from last Halloween of the two of them that he’d made his contact photo pretty much as soon as it was taken, but doesn’t end up sending him anything. Instead, he texts Matts, _if u dont ask marns out, im locking u 2 in a room 2gether._

 _pls dont,_ Auston replies.

 _;-),_ Willy texts back, then locks his phone.

* * *

Maybe hindsight’s 20/20, but Willy’s pretty sure that, yeah, sleeping with the person you like then flirting with someone else is, like, not the best way to handle feelings.

Whatever, Willy’s new to this. He’s learning.

He tries to make amends; he dials down the flirting with Auston, even starts consciously putting more distance between them, calling Marns over every time they talk, dropping hints when he can. They both pretend to be annoyed by it, except he can tell that neither of them actually minds, and honestly, Willy’s accepted that he’s too invested in this relationship now that he’s got confirmation that the pining has been going both ways. They’re making progress, he thinks, but neither of them looks like they’re actually going to make a move any time soon, so–

Like, he hadn’t been serious when he’d texted Auston about locking them in a room, but.

“You guys have an hour, talk about your feelings,” Willy yells through the door to Mitch’s hotel room.

“I hate you,” Auston’s voice calls back, which is a blatant fucking lie, because they both pretty obviously have been looking for an excuse to finally bang this out – like, in every sense of the word – and Willy’s honestly doing them a favor.

He sits on the floor outside the room, headphones in, mostly to prevent anyone else from going in, except he must be a fucking idiot, because he forgets who Mitch’s road roommate is until he’s standing over him, giving him a confused look, and Willy startles.

“Hey,” he says, yanking out his earbuds.

“Hi,” Zach says slowly. “This is my room.”

“Yeah, you… might not wanna go in there,” Willy says.

“Why?” Zach says.

“Matty and Marns are… talking?” Willy says. “Or – I dunno, they’re working some things out.”

“Oh,” Zach says, and then gives Willy this small smile that makes him melt.

“Yeah,” Willy says, and he knows his voice sounds breathless, but he can’t really be held responsible for that, probably.

“That’s good,” Zach says. “They have a lot of stuff to work out.”

“For sure,” Willy says, and then he gulps. “Uh, so do we, I think.”

“You mean…” Zach gestures between the two of them.

Willy nods. “Yeah.”

“Right,” Zach says. “Right, okay–”

“Yeah, just – sit down,” Willy says. “I have some things to say.”

“Okay,” Zach says, and he sits down, only a few inches between them. The hallway feels quieter, all of a sudden.

“Here’s the deal,” Willy starts, looking at his hands. “I’m kind of… out of my wheelhouse, right now.”

“What do you mean by that?” Zach asks.

“Well, things are weird, and I don’t – it’s my fault,” Willy says. “I’m sorry, for that. I guess that’s the first thing.”

“It’s both of our faults, I think,” Zach says, and Willy can see out of the corner of his eye that he’s smiling, kind of wry.

“I guess,” Willy says, the corner of his mouth creeping up despite the nerves. “But after, I could’ve – I should’ve, like, acted normal.”

“I could’ve, too,” Zach says. “I mean, I guess I sort of… expected you to? Because you’re all – you know.”

“Experienced at making bad choices?” Willy says, raising an eyebrow, but he’s still looking down.

“Not what I was gonna say,” Zach says. “I didn’t realize you’d feel weird about it.”

“Did you?” Willy asks.

“Not until you looked all… regretful, I guess,” Zach says. “That kind of threw me for a loop. I figured we would just be, like, ‘cool, that happened, no drama, no weirdness.’”

“You kind of had the right to assume that, I guess,” Willy says.

“The precedent was there,” Zach says lightly.

“Things… change?” Willy says. “I don’t know. I’m sorry, still.”

“So am I,” Zach says. “I just – what made it weird for you?”

Willy sighs. “You didn’t do anything wrong that night, I promise.”

“Okay,” Zach says. “Is there something I should know, though? As your friend?”

“Um,” Willy says, and then he bites his lip. “Probably.”

“Oh,” Zach says, sounding a little surprised. “Is it something, like, serious?”

“Well, I mean, I’m not dying,” Willy says. “Or like, it’s not a tragedy, or whatever. Just – a thing. That’s happening.”

“What kind of thing?” Zach asks, cautious.

“So, um,” Willy says, and then he takes a deep breath and stares at the carpet. “It’s… feelings.”

There’s a second of silence, painfully long, and then Zach says, “Feelings?” in a tone of voice that Willy can’t really pick apart.

“Like, feelings-feelings,” Willy says. “Like, butterflies-in-your-stomach, heart-doodling feelings. Y’know. Those things.”

“Oh,” Zach says. “You… like someone.”

“I _really_ like someone,” Willy says.

“And that’s why–” Zach says, and Willy gulps.

“I guess that’s one way to put it,” Willy says, and he’s almost dizzy with how terrified he is.

“That’s okay,” Zach says. “If that’s why you’re all – I haven’t, like, told anyone, or anything.”

“That’s not the issue,” Willy says. “It’s not, like, a realistic thing.”

“Why wouldn’t it be?” Zach asks.

“They’re… way out of my league,” Willy says, and he makes the mistake of glancing up at Zach, who’s looking right at him, thoughtful, attentive, genuine, because of _course_ he is, he’s Zach.

“What?” Zach says, smiling. “I don’t even know who you’re talking about, but I doubt it.”

“They are,” Willy says, and he thinks he could be sick, because Zach is just so fucking nice. “They’re like, relationship-worthy, and I can’t even get someone to stay the night.”

“Oh,” Zach says. “I’m – wow, that was kind of a dick move.”

Willy shrugs, feeling the old sting sharply. “You didn’t know.”

“Still,” Zach says. “I’m sorry.”

“You’re forgiven,” Willy says. “But anyway – yeah. Out of my league.”

“Leagues are dumb,” Zach says. “If you like them and want to date them, you should.”

“I haven’t had a real relationship before,” Willy says. “I don’t wanna fuck it up with them. Like, they deserve a great boyfriend, y’know? And I’m – they’re too good for me.”

“Cut that ‘too good’ bullshit. Just ask them on a date, I bet you could be a great boyfriend,” Zach says, his voice too calm for the way Willy’s stomach is tying itself in knots over this.

“I’m pretty sure I’ve already fucked it up,” Willy says.

“How?” Zach asks.

“I mean,” Willy says, and he knocks his knee against Zach’s. “We – y’know.”

“I thought you said that wasn’t a problem,” Zach says, and Willy doesn’t need to look up to see that he’s frowning. “No one knows.”

“I mean, they know,” Willy says.

“Okay, so, they’re being judgy? Because no offense, dude, but if they’re–”

“It’s not that,” Willy says, shaking his head, and he wants to fix his hair, but his palms are really fucking sweaty, so he doesn’t.

“Then what’s the issue?” Zach asks.

Willy lets his head thump against the wall behind him and bites his lip before letting out a small sigh, figuring there’s no turning back now. “I wanted to do this right, and I’ve been trying my best, but no one’s telling me just – like, what to do, y’know? Like, it feels like there’s a protocol, or, like, an order I should do things in, but no one actually knows what that is.”

“I don’t think there’s, like, an order–” Zach starts.

“Okay, well, maybe not a strict one, but–” he takes a deep breath, then squeezes his eyes shut “I’m just, like, pretty sure you’re not supposed to sleep with someone before you’ve even figured out how the fuck you’re going to deal with how much you like them.” He keeps his eyes closed and clenches his fists tight, like he’s trying to hold onto a bit of courage that he definitely doesn’t have. His head is just static, now, the words sitting between them as Willy waits, kind of terrified, for Zach’s reaction.

“I’m confused,” Zach says, after what feels like forever.

Which – okay, is not the answer Willy was expecting, but he figures there’s a lot to explain, so he tries to sound patient as he asks, “What’s confusing?”

“You… already slept with them?” Zach says. “That’s what you’re saying?”

“Oh my god,” Willy groans, banging his head against the wall again, this time in frustration. “Are you kidding me, Zachary.”

“I just don’t know what you’re trying to say,” Zach says, defensive and kind of helpless, and Willy would feel bad, but he’s dealing with a lot of feelings right now, so he’s mostly just exhausted.

“I can’t believe _I’m_ about to say this to _you_ ,” Willy says, “but, like, come on, don’t be stupid.”

“What–”

“You know what I’m trying to say here, man,” Willy snaps. “Seriously.”

Zach doesn’t speak for a while, and Willy focuses on taking deep breaths, tries to brace himself for whatever Zach’s response is.

Finally, Zach says, “Honestly, it kind of sounds like you’re talking about me.”

“Wow, you think?” Willy deadpans, finally opening his eyes, even though he still can’t really look at Zach.

“But you–” Zach starts. “I – what?”

“I’m pretty sure I’m not leaving much room for confusion here,” Willy says.

“That’s what you’re trying to tell me?” Zach says. “That you like me?”

“Jesus fuck, _yes,”_ Willy says.

“And we – that night – I just left,” Zach says, mostly to himself. “Wow, sorry, I really just–”

“You didn’t want to stay, so you didn’t,” Willy says. “It’s cool, I–”

“Whoa, no,” Zach says. “That’s not – that was a dumb thing to do, but I just kind of figured it was what you wanted.”

“It wasn’t.” Willy rolls his eyes.

“I see that now,” Zach says, almost exasperated, and it’s kind of normal, except for how Willy’s kind of terrified.

But it’s also – he’s not, quite, because Zach _knows,_ and he’s still here, and it’s not the end of the world, the sky isn’t falling. Zach is still Zach, and Willy is still Willy, and they’re still just them, just, a little different, but things are always gonna be a little different, and that’s okay, and it’s gonna be okay.

“I’m really not mad,” Willy says, finally glancing at Zach, who looks – a little taken aback, but still like Zach. “I shouldn’t have done it in the first place, but it’s not – I don’t regret sleeping with you, or whatever.”

“I don’t either,” Zach says.

“Good,” Willy says. “That’s… good.”

“I – I’m sorry, I’m just processing, I guess,” Zach says. “Just – out of your league?”

“What?” Willy says.

“You think I’m out of your league?” Zach says. “I – in what world?”  

Willy smirks, a little. “In the world where we’re both hockey players, but you graduated from college and have a literal publishing deal?”

“Okay, but you’re all… blonde and handsome,” Zach says. “Besides, they’re just picture books.”

Willy fixes him with a look. “Yeah, because that somehow makes you _less_ out of my league.”

“I’m just saying, it’s not like I’m a novelist,” Zach says.

“You’re right, you’re just cute, smart, funny, _and_ good with kids,” Willy says, counting off on his fingers, before he throws his hands up in the air. “And a fucking professional athlete, too, because why the fuck not?”

“Uh,” Zach says. “Thank you?”

Willy shrugs. “It’s just true.”

“You’re also a pro athlete, and, like, kind of look like a model,” Zach says.

“Yeah, well,” Willy says, “that’s not the same as being boyfriend material, so.”

“I mean,” Zach says, and then he pauses.

“You mean?” Willy says slowly, and he’s trying his best to ignore the small knot of hope that’s forming in his chest, but it’s hard, because Zach looks like he’s actually thinking about Willy’s potential as boyfriend material, and Willy’s pretty sure he’s not immediately being ruled out.

“You’re… really hot, and we hooked up, and it was – like, _really_ – just, like, y’know. Really good,” Zach says, blushing a bit.

“It was?” Willy says, his heart racing.

“Wasn’t it? For you?” Zach asks.

“I mean, yeah,” Willy says.

“So,” Zach says, nodding and doing a gesture with his hand. “And I mean, we’re friends.”

“What are you saying?” Willy asks, and he has no idea what his voice sounds like, but whatever, this is big, he doesn’t think he’s expected to sound normal.

“Just – I mean, I never thought about it before, but I’m thinking about it now, and – we could give it a go,” Zach says.

“You mean, like, you’d go out with me?” Willy says, a little breathless. “On a date?”

“Well, yeah,” Zach says, shrugging.

Willy just stares at him, feeling what he thinks is every possible human emotion at once, because this just – like, it makes sense, when Zach puts it that way, but it seems too good to be true.  “Just… like that?”

“Yep,” Zach says, and he gives Willy this small smile. “We could do dinner, maybe?”

“Dinner,” Willy echoes. “You want to get dinner with me.”

“If the offer’s still open–”

“It is,” Willy says, nodding frantically as it starts to catch up with him, and slowly he starts to feel, just – this incredible, overwhelming sense of happiness, because Zach wants to get _dinner_ , with _Willy._ He’s pretty sure he could fly, and has this weird urge to just, like, run down the hallway, or maybe even skip. He thinks that, if he tried, he’d probably be able to click his heels. “What time is it? Is it dinner time?”

“We already ate,” Zach says. “With the team. An hour ago.”

Willy stands up, probably too fast to pass as chill, but honestly, the word ‘chill’ isn’t even in his vocabulary right now. “Okay, well, dessert? Drinks? Coffee? Are those okay first dates?” He furrows his brow. “No, wait, I have to plan this–”

“We can do coffee,” Zach says, getting to his feet, then he looks at Willy, almost amused. “Maybe decaf for you.”

Willy belatedly realizes he’s tapping his fingers on his thigh really fast, probably a result of the fact that he feels like he’s about to vibrate out of his skin, but in a good way. He clasps his hands together in an attempt to stop moving, but just ends up rocking back and forth on his feet instead. “I really don’t care what kind of coffee it is. Just – promise not to hate me if it’s a shitty date?”

Zach rolls his eyes, fond. “It’s not gonna be a shitty date, man. We’re friends, y’know?” He taps the back of his hand to Willy’s in a gesture that’s maybe awkward, but Willy can’t even tell, because his heart stops the second they make contact. Zach’s hand isn’t even that warm, and it’s only there for a second, except it makes Willy’s skin literally tingle.

There’s a second where Willy actually thinks he’s having a heart attack, but, nope, that’s just a lot of adrenaline running through him, which is what usually happens when all your dreams come true. Willy knows this from experience, and, like, not that a date with Zach Hyman is quite the same as a first NHL goal, or winning a world championship, but honestly, it’s not that far off.

“Holy shit, we’re going on a date,” Willy says, still staring at the place where Zach’s hand had touched his. “What does that even mean?”

“I mean, that we’re gonna get coffee together,” Zach says. “It’s not that complicated.”

“Who pays?” Willy asks. “Can I pay? Do I get to buy you coffee now?”

“If you want,” Zach says, laughing a little.

Willy feels his face light up, because he gets to buy Zach coffee, and maybe dinner too, and– “Oh my god, does this mean I get to hold your hand?”

“I – yes, sure,” Zach says, and Willy can see that he’s blushing, now, maybe starting to realize that Willy truly is _this_ excited about all of this. He’s smiling, though, and he’s still smiling when he reaches out and grabs Willy’s hand, tangling their fingers together like he’s somehow unsure. They’re facing each other, so the angle is weird, but this part of his hand is warm. Maybe a little bit sweaty, but honestly, that could just be Willy, and it doesn’t really matter either way.

Willy looks at their fingers, intertwined, looks at the goosebumps on his own arm, and he feels the way Zach’s hand is firm and strong, a little unfamiliar right now, but he’s probably going to hold this hand again, and hopefully many times after that. He lifts their hands up to get a better look, and he doesn’t kiss Zach’s knuckles, but it’s a near-thing.

“Oh my god,” Willy says.

“Is holding my hand everything you thought it would be and more?” Zach says, and he’s sarcastic, but Willy isn’t even – there’s nothing about this moment that could even be remotely close to a joke, in his brain.

“It really is,” Willy says, probably a little too serious.

Zach ducks his head. “Jesus.”

“Too much?” He tries to sound at least a little apologetic, but it’s hard when he can’t stop thinking about how happy he is.

“I mean,” Zach says, and then he shakes his head, scratching the back of his neck. “Maybe, but it’s mostly just cute.”

“You think I’m _cute,”_ he repeats, almost victorious. “Man, if you’re into how into you I am, this is gonna be the best coffee date ever.” Willy’s pretty sure he used to be better at not saying embarrassing things, but he can’t really mourn the loss of that skill when Zach is smiling like this, which isn’t that different from the way he usually smiles at Willy, except it’s about a thousand times more, and a thousand times better.

“Well, then, I guess we should get started,” Zach says.

“Definitely,” Willy says. “Just – one sec.” He uses his free hand to rap on the door to the hotel room, but doesn’t wait for a response before he yells, “Guys, if you’re not already talking about your feelings, you definitely should, it’s great.”

“You’re so embarrassing,” Zach says.

“Can’t back out on me now, Hyman,” Willy says, looking over his shoulder. “I’m literally never letting go of your hand.”

“That’ll make it hard to drink coffee,” Zach points out.

Before Willy can respond, Mitch’s voice calls back, “Is Zach there?”

“Hi,” Zach yells, and does an awkward wave in the direction of the closed door.

“How long are you guys going to be out?” Mitch asks.

Zach shoots Willy a look, and Willy just shrugs, then yells, “Uh, however long coffee dates take?”

“So, like, an hour and a half? Or longer?” Mitch says.

“You can have the room for as long as you need,” Zach calls. “How’s that?”

“You’re the greatest,” Mitch says.

“He is,” Willy calls back. “Also, I know you guys are probably having sex, but have you tried holding hands? It’s awesome.”

“Oh my _god,”_ Zach laughs, covering his face with his hand. “Do you have, like, any filter? At all?”

“Listen, it’s your fault,” Willy says, and lets himself be tugged gently as they start to make their way down the hallway. “Like, your hand? Really great for holding. What am I supposed to do, _not_ talk about it?”

“Well, your hand is pretty great for holding too, and I’m saying that at a normal volume,” Zach says.

“Oh my god, we’re _flirting,”_ Willy says gleefully.

 _“I’m_ flirting, you’re just pointing out things that happen,” Zach says.

“Whatever,” Willy says, too happy to think of any sort of comeback.

-

“Okay,” Zach says, as Willy takes a picture of the heart-shaped latte art, trying to surreptitiously get Zach in the frame. “Confession time.”

“What?” Willy says.

Zach bites his lip. “I really didn’t want to leave that morning, but I kind of figured it would’ve been too good to be true if you wanted me to stay.”

Willy’s a little speechless. “You just dropped that, like, 5 minutes into our first date. How do you – did Nicholas Sparks write you, or something?”

Zach smiles and ducks his head. “Was it too cheesy?”

“No, it was romantic as fuck, and I don’t know how I’m gonna keep up,” Willy says.

“You just spent, like, the entire walk here talking about holding my hand,” Zach says. “You’re already way ahead of me.”

“Does that count as romantic?” Willy asks. “Because I could keep going.”

“You really don’t have to to do that,” Zach says, then hooks their ankles together. Willy’s life is fucking great.

“This date was literally the best idea I’ve ever had,” Willy says.

“This date has barely started,” Zach says. “Also, it was my idea.”

“It was mine first,” Willy says. “There is no way you get to take credit for us dating.”

“Oh, so we’re dating now?” Zach says.

“Well, we’re on a date, and I think we can rule this one a success, so there’s probably gonna be a second date,” Willy says.

“You’re ruling it a success before you’ve even had a sip of your coffee,” Zach says.

“You’re not disagreeing,” Willy says.

“Fair enough,” Zach says. “A second date is probably a good idea.”

“What were you thinking?” Willy says. “Dinner tomorrow?”

Zach makes a face. “Eh. Dinner tomorrow sounds like more of a third date to me. Breakfast tomorrow is better second date material, right?”

“You’re way too quick on your feet,” Willy says, grinning. “But yes, to both.”

He takes a sip of his coffee, and it’s, like.

Really, really good.

-

Willy walks Zach back to his room, but there’s a Do Not Disturb sign hanging on the door, which means Mitch and Auston are still at it. Willy mentally congratulates them, both in the ‘get it in’ kind of way and in the ‘aw’ kind of way.

“Uh,” Zach says, then looks at Willy, like he’s not sure what he’s supposed to do.

“If we’re doing breakfast tomorrow,” Willy starts.

“We are,” Zach says quickly.

“I mean,” Willy says. “For convenience’s sake – we might as well just… y’know. Share a room.”

“Yeah?” Zach says, smiling.

“Yeah,” Willy says. “It’ll be like a sleepover.”

“A slumber party,” Zach suggests.

“Exactly,” Willy says. “I can talk about this great date I went on.”

“Oh, please do,” Zach says. “Was he cute?”

They start to walk in the direction of Willy’s room, their fingers loosely intertwined. “Pretty cute,” Willy says.

“Cute enough to get a goodnight kiss?” Zach says.

Willy stops, pretends to think about it for a second, and then grins, puts a hand on Zach’s face, and leans in, gently pressing their lips together. It’s a simple kind of kiss, not one that’s supposed to lead to anything. They’re in the hallway, still a few doors away from Willy’s room, and Willy’s honestly not even sure if they’re gonna hook up tonight. He doesn’t really care either way. He’s never really done the whole kissing-for-the-sake-of-kissing thing before, but that’s the best way to describe this, probably; he likes Zach, and he wants to see how their lips fit together.

They fit well, he thinks.

“That was so sweet,” Zach says, a little breathless, but definitely happy.

 _“You’re_ so sweet,” Willy shoots back. It’s pretty lame, but it gets Zach to blush a little bit, so. He stands by it,

“Wow, you – you actually like me,” Zach says.

“I mean, yeah,” Willy says. “That’s what I keep telling you.”

“No, I know, I just – I think this is gonna be good,” Zach says, and Willy doesn’t know if it’s the words or the accompanying smile that put the best kind of butterflies in his stomach. It’s probably both.

* * *

**(epilogue)**

“Y’know, I can’t believe I thought the boyfriend stuff would be hard,” Willy says. “Or, I guess, I don’t know if we’re technically boyfriends yet? But, like – this feelings shit is lit.”

“You’re boyfriends,” says Mitch, who is currently sitting in Auston’s lap, an arm thrown over his shoulders. “You’ve been together for, what, two weeks? It’s not like you’re taking it slow.”

“Does that mean we’re boyfriends?” Auston asks, wrapping his arm around Mitch’s waist.

Mitch rolls his eyes before turning to Auston. “No, I’m sitting in your lap to show you how much I appreciate your friendship.” He flicks him lightly. “Keep up, babe.”

“I’m just checking,” Auston says, laughing a little, even though Mitch’s delivery is pretty weak. Honestly, Willy gets it; not that Zach’s ever made an unfunny joke in his life, but if he did, Willy would probably laugh at it anyway.

“Should I check with Zach?” Willy says. “Or do I just start using the word ‘boyfriend’ and hope he catches on?”

“I don’t think you _need_ to check with him,” says Mitch, who’s now concentrating very hard on running his hand through Auston’s hair, like he’s trying to fix it.

“You probably could,” Auston says, seemingly unphased by Marns. “It’s up to you.” He shrugs.

Willy starts to consider it, but before he makes much progress, the door to the hotel room opens. Willy smiles before he actually sees Zach’s face, but smiles wider when he looks over his shoulder and does.

“Hello, my darling,” Willy says, and then he pauses. “Too much?”

“Eh,” Zach says, shrugging, and then he presses a quick kiss to Willy’s lips and sits next to him on the edge of the bed. “Honestly, maybe? But you pull it off.”

“What are you guys talking about?” Mitch asks.

“We’re workshopping pet names,” Zach explains. “Seeing which ones we like best”

“Isn’t that supposed to happen, like, organically?” Auston asks.

“That’s what I thought, but then I tried one out and this loser–” Willy knocks his shoulder against Zach’s, then grabs his hand, because why not. “–literally fell off the bed, so we figured this was a good way to prevent injury.”

“Because you unironically called me a studmuffin,” Zach says. “I wasn’t prepared.”

“Okay, well, I wasn’t prepared for you to be all studmuffin-ly, so,” Willy says.

“I’m not having this argument with you again,” Zach says, barely exasperated, and then he turns to Auston and Mitch. “Anyway, what’s up?”

“Y’know, the usual, boyfriend stuff,” Mitch says, then pokes Auston’s cheek.

“And speaking of boyfriends,” Willy says, kind of exaggerated, as he turns to Zach. “Are we boyfriends?”

Zach furrows his brow, and there’s a second where Willy’s, like, mildly terrified, but then he says, “I hope so. I just told my mom we were, like, 15 minutes ago, so.”

“Oh, awesome,” Willy says. “Wait, you told your mom?”

“Well, she asked,” Zach says.

“Does this mean we’re like, a legit couple now?” Willy says.

“Nah, you guys have been legit since you went on a double date with us,” Mitch says. “That’s the real test.”

“That double date did not count,” Willy says, firm.

“The date doesn’t not count just because you’re bad at mini golf,” Auston says.

“Bite me,” Willy says.

“Thought that was Zachy’s job,” Mitch says, then high-fives Auston, because they’re the worst.

“You’re not funny,” Zach informs them.

“Mitchy’s cute, he doesn’t need to be funny,” Auston says, and Mitch makes an indignant noise. Willy decides he has some respect for them.

“You are incredibly rude,” Mitch starts, but before he can say anything else, his phone buzzes, and he glances at the screen. “Yo, Patty’s back.”

“Euchre?” Auston says, perking up.

“Yeah, I’ll see if we can find a fourth,” Mitch says, standing up. He looks at Zach. “Do you wanna, Hyms?”

“Uh,” Zach says, then turns to Willy. “You don’t know how to play, right?”

“Nah. I know Hearts,” Willy says.

“It’s similar,” Zach says. “I could teach you, if you want?”

“Do you want to?” Willy asks.

“How badly do you guys need a fourth?” Zach asks, turning to Mitch and Auston.

“We could probably find someone else,” Auston says.

“I think Freddie might be down,” Mitch confirms, then starts typing.

Zach turns back to Willy and shrugs. “Only if you want to.”

Willy bites his lip. “Maybe another day?”

Zach smiles, like that was what he was hoping Willy would say. “Works for me.”

“Aight,” Mitch says, not looking up from his phone as he reaches a hand behind him for Auston to grab, which he does. “See you guys later.”

“Have fun,” Willy says, and Auston gives him a nod as the two of them make their way out of the room. Once Willy hears the door close behind them, he presses a kiss to Zach’s shoulder before resting his head there.

Zach kisses his head lightly. “Hey there.”

“Hi,” Willy says. “You’re actually cool with not playing, right?” He’s pretty sure, but his rule of thumb so far has been to ask if he’s not, like, absolutely sure, which means he asks a lot of questions, but it’s worked out pretty well, so far.

“Yeah, I wasn’t super in the mood to,” Zach says. “Kinda wanted some alone time.”

“Oh,” Willy says, lifting his head. “I can leave, if you want.”

“I meant alone time with you,” Zach says, smiling a bit as he puts an arm around Willy and draws him in, until his head is back on Zach’s shoulder, where it belongs.

“I like that idea,” Willy says.

“Good,” Zach says, kind of quiet, and Willy doesn’t need to look up to know that he’s got a soft, easy grin on his face.

Willy’s struck with a sense of – happiness, maybe? But it’s more than that. It’s kind of like contentedness, except he’s so content that he’s overwhelmed by how content he is, which he’s pretty sure means he’s not content anymore. It’s a little like excitement, but without the part where he’s looking forward to something, and it’s more like he’s so happy right now that his brain can’t handle all the happiness about one thing, so all he can do is be happy about how happy he is.

It occurs to Willy that he’s, like, probably in love.

“I really like being your boyfriend,” Willy says, because he kind of needs to hear Zach laugh, all of a sudden.

Sure enough, Zach chuckles softly, just as Willy had anticipated. It’s grounding, a little bit, and it makes Willy’s heart stop beating quite as fast. “You’re cute.” Then, he adds, “I really like being your boyfriend, too.”

“Great, then we should keep doing that,” Willy says, and Zach laughs for real at that.

“Solid plan,” Zach says, fond, and Willy’s about to kiss him, but Zach beats him to it.  

 


	2. podfic

**[download link](http://www.mediafire.com/file/1k6rxbhm4gbbhin/%5Bhockey%20rpf%5D%20let%27s%20give%20the%20boy%20a%20hand.mp3) **

**Size** 64MB

 **Length** 1:10:06 

 

ft. "Hurts So Good" by Carly Rae Jepsen and "Moonlight" by Ariana Grande. Hope you enjoy!

**Author's Note:**

> cw for a drunken hookup  
>    
>  **bonus content:**
> 
> -alternate title, courtesy of tots: _coping strategies of the swedish cryptid_
> 
> -this was the first zach/willy fic i ever started writing (though not the first i finished) and i hope you all love zach hyman as much as i do. maybe not as much as willy does. that's kind of a lot.
> 
> -zach: hey i went on a coffee date with willy  
> most of the leafs: congratulations!  
> connor carrick probably: where did you go, what did you order, why didn’t you ask me for a recommendation, please tell me you didn’t go to starbucks 
> 
> -learning that mitch, auston, and marleau play euchre together watered my crops, etc. the question of who their fourth player is continues to keep me up at night.
> 
> -also, before just storming into willy’s apartment, mitch (because he was feeling #petty and #jealous) asked zach if he thought something was up with willy and matts. zach’s eyes went very wide, and he kind of choked, and it was then that mitch remembered that zach had definitely hooked up with someone a few weeks ago, right before things got weird with willy. mitch had assumed at first that willy was just weird because he’d seen zach pick up or something, but then zach said, “i don’t know, willy can do what he wants” and mitch realized that the weirdness was mutual. he thought willy was like. sleeping with auston to make zach jealous? instead of just flirting with him? that’s why mitch was so mad, tbh
> 
> -guess how long mitch and auston were locked in a room together before they ended up just making out and not talking about their feelings
> 
> -(okay, they did end up talking about their feelings. it was a pretty quick conversation though. like, breathless, in boxers, mitch saying, “i’ve wanted this for a long time, you’d better be in this for the long haul” and auston saying “of course, god, whatever you want.” there’s some more staring, some more blushing, some more kissing.) 
> 
> -zach had some very pushed-down “my friend is super fun to look at and i want to bang him” feelings that came to the surface, and after they hooked up, zach woke up super early and saw willy and was like “oh god he’s beautiful i want to–” and then proceeded to not let himself finish that thought, crawl out of willy’s bed, and leave, because he was under no circumstances allowed to develop feelings for william nylander. 
> 
> -mitch and auston straight-up cheated to win that game of mini golf. 
> 
> [Come talk to me on tumblr,](https://lottswrites.tumblr.com/) or follow me on twitter @lottslottslotts


End file.
